A startled squeak signalled the end of the hunt as Mizuki dove on top of a rat that had been trying to escape her, clawed hands wrapping around the beast's small frame. It wriggled and tried to bite her fingers, but a threatening snarl from the luna wolf froze it in fear, giving Mizuki the opportunity to stand up and dust herself off with one hand, the other keeping a firm grip on the vermin.
So how many of these have you seen so far?
This question was asked to a female worker who was running after her, only now coming to a halt as she planted her hands on her knees and exhaled heavily. Chasing a caenis on the hunt wasn't something your average elf was suited for, even a short hunt like this one.
Haah... I-I didn't keep count, but there's a lot of them. But it's not just them: there's also termites in our stockpiles!
Reconstruction was a large undertaking, and there were many potential issues that had to be taken into account. The problem that Mizuki had stumbled upon was a rather annoying one: various types of vermin were getting in the way.
Rats were eating food supplies and acting as disease vectors. Insects were gnawing away at building materials. The workers did their best, but with so many people having left Finweald rather than trying to repair it, and with so much of the city having been destroyed, there was only so much they could do... especially since it wasn't entirely impossible that someone was intentionally exaggerating the issue.
There were powerful factions which would benefit from Astorea's decline, Falderen's aristocracy being the primary suspect.
Mizuki frowned as the rat in her grasp feebly tried to escape, only for its attempts to be answered with a squeeze that made its bones grind together. The rats were annoying, but the termites were a serious issue: getting rid of them would be an entire project in itself, as well as protecting the supplies from future infestations.
And I'm guessing you don't have enough acid or poison for them?
The worker shook her head, eyes fixed on the struggling rat even as she answered Mizuki's question.
We've got some of course, but we didn't expect anything like this. There's alchemists making more, but since everyone is so busy we don't know if they can make enough.
There was a brief silence as the two of them looked at the rat, which was trying to simultaneously escape without angering its captor. After several seconds Mizuki nodded, having come to a conclusion.
I'm no alchemist, but I might be able to help. For now, just use whatever you've got to keep the supplies safe.
Grabbing the rat's head with her other hand she gave it a sharp twist, snapping its neck and killing it instantly. The elf jumped at the sudden act, now looking at Mizuki with wide eyes as the wildling continued.
It might take a couple of days before I'm back, but I'll try to hurry.
The worker's reply was delayed, a brief pause preceding a quick nod before the elf turned around and headed back to join her colleagues. Mizuki briefly watched her walk away, then walked in the opposite direction, away from the city and towards the plains beyond. Her steps were accompanied by a crunching, although the attentive listener would note that the crunching sound didn't actually match her gait, but rather the chewing motions of her jaw.
Arcia was a strange place. Very similar to Earth in some ways, completely alien in other ways. Whether that was because of magic or something else Mizuki didn't know, but what she did know was that Arcia's ecosystems were the same as those she was familiar with. Predators and prey kept each other in check, which meant that if there was an overabundance of prey you needed more predators.
She'd been running across the plains for four days now, only stopping to tend to her biological needs and to log out when she needed to sleep and work. Alongside her ran her packmates, their strong limbs allowing them to keep pace even as the luna wolf raced across the landscape at a speed that a human on Earth would have collapsed within hours. It was a good reminder that what could be considered an average performance in this world would be either amazing or superhuman in the other.
One could be forgiven for thinking that Astorea was small, but if you wanted to find something within its grassy plains and you didn't know exactly where it was you'd have to be willing to dedicate a lot of time to it. Occasionally she'd come across a small village or hamlet where she could ask if the inhabitants knew anything about what she was looking for, but as she moved further and further south it became clear that the creatures she was tracking down either didn't exist in this world, were different enough that her description didn't ring any bells, or stayed away from inhabited areas.
The sun was quickly falling towards the horizon, promising the end of another day. Mizuki wouldn't have minded continuing throughout the night... but she had to keep in mind her other responsibilities.
Sometimes the fact that she also existed on Earth frustrated her to no end. Never enough that she actually considered doing something about it, but she couldn't deny that a part of her found the idea of remaining on Terrasphere more appealing than returning to Earth every night.
In front of the wolf pack a forest loomed, tall trees replacing the wild grass that they'd been pushing aside with their paws as they ran and ran, endlessly traversing the land like nomads. It was hardly the first forest they'd encountered, and just like the last couple of days, Mizuki considered a forest a good place to halt for the night. The trees provided both shelter and a good environment for her packmates to hunt in.
Still, there was something unusual about this forest... Mizuki didn't stop, but she did slow down as she entered the forest, cautiously swivelling her ears and sniffing the air as the three of them entered the shadows cast by the tall trees. There was an abundance of different smells here, more than she was used to. Scents she was familiar with, scents she didn't recognise. Plants and animals, flora and fauna... perhaps this was where she could find what she was looking for?
Coming to a halt her packmates looked at her as Mizuki considered her options. After a minute of thought she shrugged. If this meant that she'd be a bit drowsy tomorrow, so be it.
Here in the forest it was already practically night, the trees blocking out the sun to the extent that the wolves would have trouble navigating if it wasn't for their night vision. A particular scent caught Mizuki's attention, her paws moving once again as she now moved with purpose. Seeing that their leader had a target in mind the wolves stalked after her, the three of them soundlessly moving between the trees, their eyes sharp and their ears alert as they tried to perceive without being perceived.
A short burst of her
Primal Aura told her packmates that Mizuki wanted them to remain where they were for now, the two wolves obediently slowing down while the lune wolf stalked further, her ears picking up the rustling of fur against branches and leafs alongside that peculiar scent she'd been following. She was very close now, and with every step she had to consider not only the undergrowth but also whether she'd suddenly be seen by her... well, prey was inaccurate. Target was more like it.
Peeking out from behind a tree she finally spotted what she'd been searching for: a beast covered in long and dense hair, with a bushy tail almost as long as its body and a face like a tapered tube. Its clawed front paws were pressed against the trunk of another tree where it had torn away the bark, several tentacular tongues slipping out of its mouth to slither between the cracks and catch the numerous insects that were trying to escape deeper inside of the tree. Its fur, brown with dark green stripes, blended in almost perfectly with its surroundings: if it wasn't for Mizuki's night vision she would probably have overlooked it.
The scent she'd been tracking was now accompanied by something acrid. Her nose wrinkled even as she slowly let her energy seep into the tree she was hiding behind, down into its roots to be transferred to the roots of the tree the creature was leaning against. The beast was blissfully ignorant of the caenis that was watching it, devouring insects by the dozens each time its tongues shot out of its tube face. So ignorant was it that by the time it realised it wasn't alone its hind legs had already been trapped, strong roots wrapped around them to hold them in place.
Before the beast could start panicking Mizuki stepped forward, her
Primal Aura bearing down upon the beast with the clear message to remain calm and not try anything funny. Mizuki had no intention to harm it, so it had no reason to act out. Once she was close enough that she could touch the beast Mizuki released the roots. The beast pulled its tongues in, then turned around to look at Mizuki, a last insect still sticking to its black lips before it sucked it in.
Reaching out Mizuki scratched the beast behind one ear, then moved her paw-like hand down its neck and back, feeling its rough dense fur against her own. The beast, in response, sniffed her face and stuck out its tongues to drag them across her cheek, the luna wolf blinking at the odd sensation. The four tongues were very thin, but also absurdly long and prehensile: they really felt more like tentacles than tongues. She returned the gesture by licking the beast's nose, her tail wagging behind her as it seemed she'd successfully convinced the beast to consider her a friend.
Now... how many of you are in this forest?
The workers were doing everything they could, but the termite plague was wreaking havoc on their wood supplies. The Lions helped wherever they could, but the MIT, the Whistles, and the Adventurers all had their own priorities, leaving the diminished population of Finweald to fend for themselves as their attempts at reconstruction were waylaid. The builders weren't going to use wood that had already been infested, and the alchemists which weren't preoccupied with other tasks couldn't produce enough pesticide.
The elf who had talked with Mizuki a week ago was seated on top of a rock near the edge of the city, hoping that the sight of the pleasant plains that surrounded the city could help brighten her dour mood. Which meant that she was the first to spot Mizuki in the distance, the luna wolf running towards the city with her two packmates... and a small horde of beasts she'd never seen before plodding along behind the three wolves, making her stare with an open mouth.
She'd regained her composure by the time Mizuki had closed the distance, standing up and scratching her head as she tried to figure out what was going on. The wildling pushed herself back onto her hind paws before nodding at her in greeting, her two wolves sitting down next to her while the strange beasts all came to a halt as well, some of them laying down while others began to dig up the ground with their clawed front paws.
I see you brought... friends?
Mizuki nodded again, glancing back at her entourage before telling one of them to come forward with her
Primal Aura. The beast in question quickly did as it was told, Mizuki's two wolves making way so the beast could move in front of the luna wolf and reach up to try and lick her face with... four tongues? The elf wasn't sure what to make of this, especially now that she saw that these creatures were bigger than they looked: their short limbs and hair bodies made them look short, but even discounting that large tail this thing was easily one and a half times her length, possibly more.
It took a bit longer than I'd hoped, but these guys should be able to help. (She scratched the beast behind the ears.) Their diet consists almost solely of insects, and as you can probably guess they eat a lot of them. With this many we should be able to clean all your stockpiles within a day or two, and after that I'll leave a couple here while I bring the rest back to their home.
And they're... safe? Those claws look like they could hurt a lot.
They wouldn't be able to eat anything bigger than a finch even if they wanted to. I've already taught them to behave, so as long as they're fed and treated well they're safer than cats. (She knelt down and lifted one of the beast's paws, showing the claws.) These are only for digging up insects. Oh, but you should warn people to not agitate them: they can produce a nasty gas. Not poisonous, but it smells truly awful. They use it both to chase off predators and to incapacitate insect nests.
As Mizuki spoke it became clear that she was telling the truth: both the beast in front of the caenis and the ones that were still milling about behind her seemed to have little to no interest in the elf. The one in front also showed no sign of stress or anxiety: the thing calmly went along with Mizuki's instructions, returning to its kin once the luna wolf stood up and dismissed it.
...They look like they're easy to handle. We'll have to talk to the foreman about this. If they can really help deal with the termites we can finally continue our work.
Got it. Once we're done with that I'll get to work finding out whether this outbreak of termites was an accident or instigated.
...I'm sorry? Instigated?
I have some suspicions.
